Protective helmets for use in sports such as baseball, softball, hockey and football are generally required to be worn by players, at least in the sports association sanctioned youth and amateur sporting programs. The primary function of such helmets is to protect the player from impact blows to the head which could cause severe injury. For example, in the sports of baseball or softball it is not uncommon for a ball in play to be pitched, thrown or batted in the 50 to 90 mile per hour range. In ice hockey, the solid hockey puck can travel at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. It is important in such sports for the player to be protected against the danger of such flying objects and against other forms of physical contact to the head which may occur during course of play during the game.
Protective head gear helmets of varied configurations particularly adapted for different sports, are known in the art. Most such helmets have an outer protective shell of rigid impact-resistant plastic material with an internal liner or padding configured to support the shell on the player's head such that blows or impact forces that impinge on the plastic shell are virtually dissipated by the plastic and associated lining, to a level that is safe for the wearer. Most such protective head gear must meet industry or sporting association minimal safety standards for specific sports such as those promulgated by the National Operating Committee on Standards in Athletic Equipment (i.e., NOCSAE).
A number of such helmets of varied styles and configurations are known. The primary concern of a helmet is to protect the head of the wearer or player against head injuries. As such, their design has been typically safety-driven, with little consideration being given to the comfort or unique physical differences of their wearers. Traditionally, such helmets have been designed for players having shorter hairstyles and do not readily conform to the head of a player having longer hair. Such players have had to generally resort to braiding their hair or otherwise arranging their hair on their head so as to somehow fit within the helmet. For example, players having hair arranged in a ponytail or braid have had to push or otherwise position their excess hair within the helmet so as to fit between the helmet's liner parts or inner padding. In the haste of game play, such goal is often not achieved and the wearer's excess hair within the helmet can cause the helmet to "ride" up on the hair, thus mispositioning the helmet on the player's head in an unsafe, and unstable manner. Alternatively, such hair could be pulled down along the back of the player's neck and sandwiched between the padding or liner material at the back of the helmet and the back of the player's head. This technique is generally not possible because of the snug fitting design of the helmet. However, if employed, the technique is still not advisable since the thickness of the gathered hair can cause the helmet to slide on the hair or to be otherwise cocked or misaligned on the player's head, thereby potentially reducing the safety effectiveness of the helmet and making it more susceptible to being dislodged from the player's head during strenuous motion, running or upon contact.
In the past, there has been little incentive to provide "specialized" helmets for the long haired athletes since the number of such athletes vs. those having shorter hair for which the conventional helmets were designed was proportionately small. However, with the more active participation of women in athletics and the sanctioning of women leagues in virtually all sports and with the relatively recent acceptance of longer hair styles for men athletes, the need for safe and stable protective helmets for athletes having long hair has become much more of an issue. Further, with the increased awareness of safety and potential liability of those not providing safe head wear protection for all athletes participating in a sport, the issue of providing protective helmets providing a high degree of safety to athletes having longer hair has become more acute.
It has been fashionable for long-haired players and wearers of softwalled baseball or painter's caps of the adjustable type to pull their braided or ponytailed hair through the relatively large adjustable opening in the back of the cap. However, such caps offer no safety protection to the wearer and are not designed as safety or protective helmets.
The present invention addresses the need for a safety helmet, and particularly for a safety sports helmet for wearers, and in particular for athletes having long hair, in a manner that does not compromise the safety features of the helmet. In particular, the invention provides a protective safety helmet that can be worn with equal safety by those having long or short hair, and which when worn by those having long hair fits in the same snug and proper protective position on the wearer's head as it does on one having short hair.